For The Price Of A House
by Ultracape
Summary: Harm must face the most challenging, dreaded, dangerous situation he could ever imagine, marriage.


Disclaimer. These characters are not mine. Though I like to play with them, they do belong to someone else.

Pairing: H/M shipper fluff

Rating: T (Just a little Raunchy and suggestive)

For the Price of a House

By Ultracape

A couple of months after the coin toss.

That they were first and foremost good friends had eased the sudden awkwardness that Harm expected to feel when he woke up next to Mac that first morning. He wasn't surprised or confused as to where he was which was, he guessed a good sign of the state of his rarely examined emotions.

The few birds which could be heard outside the shore hotel's honeymoon sweet cottage window weren't singing any sweeter, the sky wasn't any bluer, and the air, heck, it was down right muggy, a typical Maryland summer's day.

So of course the air conditioning had quit in the middle of the night causing the couple to have mutually kicked off the one thin sheet between them and modesty. The heat and sweat had prompted their physical separation from what had been a pleasant spooning position. "G-d that had felt so good."

His morning wood twitched a bit at the memory of how it felt all tucked up against Mac's six. "Hmmm, I haven't had that pop up in a while, especially after," he had actually lost count of how many times. He felt a grin growing wide on his face, "Another good sign I guess," and it did give him a manly thrill that his body, despite the stress of the past few days, actually the past weeks, months, years, had not let him, or Mac down in the least.

Reaching down to give himself a little rub he suddenly felt the ridge of metal on his finger and quickly brought his hand up. He was wearing a gold ring. Then it struck him. "Married, I'm married," he rolled the thought around in his mind a few times attempting to assess how he felt about that.

It had been, of necessity and choice, a small and simple wedding, just his parents, Mattie, the Roberts' clan, Coates, Gunny, the Cresswell family, father and son Turner, Varise and the Admiral who after an initial protest, agreed to give Mac away.

"You watch that mouth of yours Rabb. You do right by her or so help me, you'll answer to me," he said as if Harm hadn't been nervous enough.

The general, both Turners, Bud, and even little AJ had, already delivered similar warnings. "Don't you make Auntie Mac cry or I'll sock you." G-d what did they all think he'd do to her? Yeah, well, okay. It was either he didn't know when to open his mouth or he didn't know when to close his mouth. Thinking about it he realized he was making fish like movements with his lips..

Mac, of course, looked beautiful in that wedding dress, stunning, breathtaking, the modesty of the style accentuating the fact that he was getting hitched to one hot babe. But then Mac was able to make a potato sack look sexier than the most micro mini bikini.

"Well, if I've got to be married…" okay, attitude correction needed here, Hammer. You never had to be married. You asked her, remember, you did not want to be separated from her. You didn't want to have to face life without her anymore. "But did I have to marry her?"

Well, this was Mac, and yes, he knew he could have had her any number of times for the asking, Russia, Australia, he wasn't totally clueless despite what others thought of him. He could have even taken her in Paraguay and was about to until Webb had to show his ugly puss.

Even when he was guzzling the cana, his anger was brewing, pushing him to show her just what his baser intentions were. But even as the liquor was drugging his restraint, his feelings for her asserted an even stronger sense of self-revulsion that he could even think of taking her that way. The result was his all too usual paralysis.

If it wasn't his roiling emotions causing his inaction it was the internal battle between the way she made his body react and his feelings of respect for her as a person.

He really respected Mac, he always had. She was unlike any other woman he had ever known. Despite her own insecurities she could handle anything life threw at her, better than he could at times. She grounded him, which was something he knew he needed despite his arrogance.

In fact, deep down, where he didn't want to visit too often, he knew he loved her. She was no piece of fluff just to keep the lonely nights at bay and warm is little sailor when the mood struck. She was his friend his best friend and heck, he enjoyed being with her.

Nope, it wasn't so much a fear of commitment to her so much as a fear of his incapability to keep that commitment.

There had been a time, not too long ago, when he was quite capable of going through one, even two women a night. He had been a fighter pilot and they all had reputations to maintain. At the time, he had women because he could have them, they would throw themselves at him.

But those had been empty encounters and after his ramp strike he had learned that he needed more than just a way to relieve the tension.

"Yeah, but married, really, really married."

What was it he had said to Coates a couple of years ago about weddings and receptions where people felt obligated to give you gifts, then when you woke up, you turned around and saw a lump next to you and realized that for the price of the down payment on a house you got yourself chained to that.

The thought rocked him again. He knew this had been his choice. He knew he had even looked forward to the day, but now that all the family, friend and private festivities were overhe was waiting for something to happen, something to make him feel different than he had before the wedding. Then he became afraid of what that feeling might be.

He closed his eyes again, realizing that he hadn't yet even looked at his, oh god, his wife yet. What if it was she who would change? What if now that she legally had him, she morphed into a curler wearing, cold cream covered, fat, screechy, naggy, creature from the black lagoon.

Fear prevented him from turning his head, fear that somehow the sexy, smart, funny, take no nonsense from him, challenging, fiery babe he had pledged his life too had turned into a bridezilla.

"Ahhhhhh," he heard her yawn and felt her body touch his slightly as she stretched. "Hmmm, what time is it?"

Harm's eyes popped open as the question rocked him. "Mac, you all right," he turned and was suddenly struck dumb. Every word he could ever think of saying, every thought that had wandered its way through his mind, everything left, gone at the sight of those beautiful brown eyes looking at him and that big sexy grin, oh, that kissable, beautiful, did he say kissable mouth of hers.

"I'm much better than just alright, you big sexy hunk of a husband. Gee, I've had my fantasies about what it would be like, but, wow, you knocked my time sense completely off kilter."

"I did, huh? You're all unwound?" The thought filled him with pride.

"Yup and if I didn't feel so hot and sweaty I'd ask you to see if you could wind me up again."

"Yeah, I guess we both need showers," he said as his eyes wandered down from her face to the pleasures promised by the rest of her body, his hand, of its own volition finding things to play with.

"See anything you like, sailor?"

"Hmmmm. Uh, Mac, how do you think your timepiece would react to water?"

"No time like the present to find out?"

He jumped out of bed and pulled her up towards the bathroom faster than he ever remembered catapulting off of a carrier.

Joined as they were in mutual pleasure, and some washing, it wasn't until he bumped his skull against the showerhead a second time that any coherent thoughts managed to make their way from his brain to his mouth.

"That's it, right after the honeymoon we're buying a house and putting in a me size shower as soon as possible."

Mac was astonished, "buying a house, Harm. Are you sure you want to make that kind of commitment?"

Harm smiled down at her, the water slicking her hair back, the drops running down her body, "sweet thing, with you and me together, I'm ready for anything."

The End

AN: Okay look, this is not Harm bashing. This is just the way I think a middle-aged former jet jock lawyer who has been swinging as a single for most of his 46 years might look at the sudden realization that he has actually gone and committed the dreaded commitment. He's not perfect or frankly, he'd be down right boring. He has flaws, one being letting his sarcasm getting the better of his brain at the worst possible time. He has to have time to think things through and given that time, he usually comes to a fairly acceptable conclusion. Harm has only been self-reflective recently and while he does it more often, it's still something he has to think about.

Also, I know that of myself, being a somewhat more than middle-aged female, there are times I have some very unkind thoughts or desires about the people closest to me before my heart gives my brain a kick and I remind myself how important these people are to me, how much I love them and that love means that every once in a while I have to put my own needs, wants and ego aside and do what's best and necessary for my loved ones' health and happiness. Sometimes it is automatic but other times I have to be honest with myself that I do have to think about it. On the other hand, my own happiness cannot be neglected because if it's only always about the other person then I just won't have anymore to give and can resent my loved ones for their perceived selfishness.

If Harm is reaching wisdom and maturity, he would have to have learned these truths.

I'll step off my soapbox now.


End file.
